The agriculture ministry said Thursday it will introduce a program in the next fiscal year to certify restaurants overseas as serving genuine Japanese cuisine.
The program is aimed at promoting "authentic Japanese food culture" overseas as many restaurants in other countries that claim to serve Japanese food are actually offering dishes that are not traditional Japanese cuisine, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
"I hope that the new system will help promote the export of Japanese farm and marine food products, to disseminate proper knowledge about Japan's culinary arts and to facilitate Japanese food companies' push into foreign markets," agriculture minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka said.